A lifelong interest in wildlife and wild places has been the foundation of my professional life. I studied towards a BA in English at UCT and later completed a creative design course in London during the early 1990s, and writing / photography / design became the basis of my work offerings. Years later, after being a trustee and committee member for various conservation organisations, I discovered my soul calling as a nature writer and environmental project innovator.

I curate awareness exhibitions within marine, wilderness, and urban wildlife ecology and conservation. My involvement with each programme includes conceptualising the vision and project framework; research; editing; creating narrative / visual content; installation; public engagement; and managing the logistics of the project in coordination with partners and funders.

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CURATORIAL PROJECTS

-  'Windows on the Oceans' at the Two Oceans Aquarium

-  'In the Realm of the Sea' at the Hermanus Whale Museum

- 'The Benguela Dolphins' at the Swakopmund Aquarium, Namibia

-  'Sacred Ocean Anti-Whaling Campaign' at the Two Oceans Aquarium

-  'Reconnecting with Nature' with the SA Biodiversity Institute

-  'Mapungubwe Revisited' with WWF-SA at the Mapungubwe Museum

-  'Living with our Wild Neighbours' with The Humane Society USA

-  'This Land - These Animals' with IFAW-SA

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MARINE CONSERVATION

Since 2003, I have run the Oceans of Africa programme with my husband, Noel Ashton, who is a public speaker and cetacean scientific illustrator. Together, we have had the privilege of launching many programmes that focus on whales and the protection of their ocean habitats. Project milestones have included our global Sacred Ocean Campaign with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu; our Windows on the Oceans initiative in the Two Oceans Aquarium with support from Jonathan Oppenheimer and The De Beers Trust; and numerous awareness initiatives, including The Whale Show, The Benguela Project, and The Whale Walk.

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'I have known the Ashton’s for many years and have always admired their intimate knowledge of the region, their passion for its wonderful whales and dolphins, and their remarkable efforts to drum up urgently needed support for conservation efforts to look after them.' Mark Carwardine

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URBAN WILDLIFE

Since 2010, I have run the Wild Neighbours initiative with its focus on urban wildlife. This programme was inspired by my work as a trustee of the Baboon Matters Trust and a long, insightful conversation that I had with Dr Jane Goodall when we discussed becoming a voice for wildlife. It was enabled through the support of urban wildlife specialist Dr John Hadidian and with funding from Dr Andrew Rowan of The Humane Society in the US. In more recent years, local components of the initiative have been funded by IFAW Southern Africa. My public talk, Living with our Wild Neighbours, was first presented at the Rondevlei Nature Reserve.​

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Reconnecting with Nature, an awareness display that I created in partnership with the SA National Biodiversity Institute, with funding from the Hoheisen Trust, was installed in the nine National Botanical Gardens of South Africa and they remain as an awareness feature in the gardens, encouraging people to deepen their experience of the natural world.

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AFRICAN WILDERNESS

My work in wilderness conservation led to the opportunity to work with Vance G. Martin of the The WILD Foundation in the US, creating the inspirational Wilderness Visionaries display, which was launched at the WILD9 World Wilderness Congress in Merida, Mexico.

I also had the privilege of working with Dr Ian Player, who, with Laurens van der Post, founded the wilderness movement in southern Africa.

Dr Player wrote the foreword to my book Connecting with Wilderness; he was a man of immense grace and generosity of spirit.

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Article - In the Wilderness Vast

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RHINO CONSERVATION

In response to the plight of rhinos in southern Africa, Noel and I conceptualised the Mapungubwe Revisited initiative, in partnership with WWF-SA and in support of their rhino conservation work. Through a series of high-profile public events, we told the story of this iconic piece and its relevance in today’s fraught and stressful world. We co-hosted these events with WWF, including the launch event at the Everard Read in Johannesburg, Ellerman House in Cape Town, Grande Provence in Franschhoek, and the Mapungubwe Museum in Pretoria.

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NATURE WRITING

Words, poems, and writing about nature are my life passions. Over the years, I have written articles for various publications, including Africa Geographic and a regular column in Cape etc magazine. My journal, Cape Envirolink, sponsored by The Table Mountain Fund and recipient of a Green Trust Award, shared information about greening issues in the city. Our latest field guide, Watching Whales and Dolphins in Southern Africa, was published by Penguin Random House with a foreword by our friend, zoologist and BBC presenter Mark Carwardine. I have also been involved with numerous research reports, including the porcupine trade with Nick Chevallier and the African Elephant Immunocontraception programme with The Humane Society International.​

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